Lumaflex Vendors, Tips, and Tweaks

For all those looking for lumaflex material:http://www.chesapeakefly.com/ Jim Hester at Chesapeake Fly has told me that he has 50 strand or 70 strand skeins in White, Black, Silver, Gold, Orange, Red, Blue, Brilliant Blue, Teal Blue, Brown, Root Beer, Rust, Fl. Chartreuse, Fl. Fuchsia, Fl. Pink, Purple, Lemon Yellow, Yellow Chartreuse, Grammon Green, Green, Insect Green, Lime Green, & Olive. Each skein is about 36 inches long. These are the perfect size for those that make baits for personal use and IMO they carry a better selection than most luma-vendors. I haven't had a chance to order lumaflex from them yet and hope he doesn't mind me posting this, but I have placed orders there before for other components and they have great service, are reasonably priced, and are very speedy about getting your order out. Plus they take Paypal which is always a bonus. http://livingrubber....etail.asp?pid=5 for 1/4 lb spools and up in White, Fuchsia, Black, Red, Royal Blue, Brown, Chartreuse, Orange, Purple, Lime, Dayglow, and Yellow. A 1/4 lb spool is 30.00 and the company is well-known for outstanding customer service. I wish they had a better color selection but oh well...I have been dying my lumaflex with a product called LumaDye that was made for Dupont back in the 80's, but other dyes such as Rit will work well with this material, just remember that it is a spandex thread and the material will soak up the dye making it difficult to dye precise patterns. The trick is to use very little dye and go slowly till you get the desired effect. The darker colors have a tendency to bleed and should be set with vinegar or such before using. Permanent markers work too and bleed less than dye, but do not look as good and quickly fade with use. Lumaflex reflects sunlight in the water which gives a great flash by itself, but looks even better with a flashabou, crystal flash, etc accent added to the skirt.Lumaflex has wonderful life-like action and is almost indestructible compared to other skirting materials. I have had skirts that still look brand new when the skirt collar rots off. For my personal baits I always tie the skirt onto the bait for this reason.Lumaflex works great on bass jigs, I haven't seen any manufacturer that markets them on a jig (there has to be at least one) but the breathing action they give on a "crawl-hop" retrieve always makes my spider sense tingle. Hope it helps, JIM

Lumaflex is also a great material for fly tying, but it doesn't look as nice as rubber or silicone since the strands aren't always nice & straight.

As Celticav has said it's a very tough & durable material. I first saw it used for Striper & Bluefish flies, but it's a great material for any of the toothy fish, like Pike, Muskies, Barracuda, Bluefish, or Sharks as well as for Bass.

Hello - I have been using a spinnerbait from a bait shop for years that had a lumaflex skirt in what they called grey shad (Hawghead Baits). It has become a go to SB for me given certain conditions. Unfortunately his supplier has left us and the business is no longer reachable. As I look at the skirt to copy it - it is built from white and the "grey" color strands of lumaflex along with a few strands of flashabou. Easy enough tehcnially *except* matching the grey color.

So - I will first try taking white and matching the color through experimentation. Just wondering if any of you have seen Lumiflex available in this color before I start. Or - any guesses at Rit recipes that you think may work. Otherwise I beleive I'll start with an aqua or blue and mix with some black. Since it doesn't appear to be really gray. Any help/tips would be greatly appreciated!!!

Tried to get to Chesapeake Fly website, didn't work. Jim, if you get this please email me @ tmaxbass@fuse.net. Been trying to find Lumaflex for more than a couple of years. Don't need a 1/4 lb. of 6 or 8 colors, but I do like it for spinnerbait skirts. Thanks.